EUGENE -- The Oregon Ducks enter the 2014 college football season No. 3 in the country after the Associated Press released its preseason poll Sunday morning, a ranking that equals UO's highest-ever in the preseason.

UO is coming off an 11-2 record in Mark Helfrich's debut season as head coach that ended with an Alamo Bowl victory yet without a BCS bowl bid for the first time in five seasons.

National champion Florida State earned its sixth No. 1 preseason ranking in program history with 57 of a possible 60 first-place votes. Alabama is No. 2, Oklahoma is No. 4 and Ohio State is No. 5. The Crimson Tide, Sooners and Ducks each received one first-place vote.

Oregon has now been ranked in the top five of the AP's preseason poll for four consecutive seasons. Oregon's No. 3 ranking is one spot higher than where the first Amway Coaches Poll of the season slotted UO, but ties it with its highest AP preseason rank with the 2011 and 2013 teams. The 2011 team finished No. 4, and UO finished No. 9 last season.

The Ducks led six Pac-12 Conference schools in the preseason poll, and were followed by No. 7 UCLA, No. 11 Stanford, No. 15 USC, No. 19 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington. Eight SEC teams were ranked.

Oregon plays four opponents that were ranked in Sunday's poll, starting with No. 8 Michigan State on Sept. 6 at Autzen Stadium. UO travels to UCLA on Oct. 11 and hosts Washington on Oct. 18 and Stanford on Nov. 1.